Ok i want to know to those that have the lapband looking back are you glad you got the laband or do you wish you had the gastric bypass surgery?

The reason i ask is im planning on having the lapband done in january im self pay and the lady that is helping me thru belighweight told me she has the band but if she could do it all over again should would have got the other surgery.

Now i am self pay and the lapband cost is $5400 the gastric bypass is $6900 im not worried about the cost differnce so i just wanted yall truthfull opinion.

Thanks!

I have my band for just over two years....I have had some problems...all my own doing.....but, I would do it over in a minute.....both options have ways that you can go around them and fail....if you are commited it is a great way to go......It is not easy and you do have to continue to work at it.....hope this helps.........

I never considered bypass. It's not something offered here in Australia, I don't think. But I did have sleeve envy for ages! Two ladies in my office got the sleeve and they lost fast.

But in the end, the band worked for me. It did it's job, I lost weight and have maintained, and I can't knock that. So I have no regrets, and if I were able to speak to my pre-WLS self, I'd still tell me to get the band

Just on the aside, one of the sleeve ladies is struggling and has regained over 50% of the weight she lost. So I don't think any particular WLS is a guarantee to success. You just make the best, most well informed decision you can, work it and hope for the best.

I also did not consider gastric bypass. It was just way too much surgical damage for me to even think about.

I've had the band for 18 months now and have had great results. I took off 100 pounds in the first year and about a pound per month after that. I started with a morbidly obese BMI of 41.3 and am now at a normal BMI of 24.6.

I can not relate to bandsters who complain about all the hard work it takes to drop weight with the band. I personally have put in very little effort.

I can not tell you which surgery to choose or even if any WLS is right for you. If you can not make up your mind, maybe you could try going to several seminars with different surgeons.

Try the book "The expert's guide to weightloss surgery" by Dr. Garth Davis. It explains the differnces in the surgeries postop. The lapband has slower results in the begining until you find the sweet spot but most of Dr. Garth's lapband patients learn that food choices and exercise are still important even post op quicker. So in the long run I think the odds of being successful are greater. Plus no dumping which makes you feel really sick. And the band can be adjusted if you feel you are eatting too much.

Here is a snippet of Dr. Garth

(with the band) Weightloss is slower and it takes place over a longer period of time. Many of my band patients are still losing two and three years out- they've kept losing long after the bypass patients have leveled off, which means they lose less muscle.

This is why I went with the band. I don't regret it. I haven't had a perfect journey but I am still traveling.

Thanks guys im pretty sure im going with the band.

I am only six weeks post op so I can't speak to how hard it is going to be but there is no doubt in my mind that I will get there. I am very happy with my decision especially because getting the Gastric Bypass was never an option for me personally. The death rate with the Gastric Bypass was not acceptable to me. I weighed 273 pounds with a BMI of 49 but I had no co-morbidities. I could not see electing to get a surgery that might take me away from my children and having them know that it was my own choice. I remember one pro-Gastric Bypass doctor telling me that the death rate was no greater than the death rate for an Appendectomy. My response to him was that I personally did not know of anyone who had ever died from an Appendectomy but I personally have known or known of 5 separate people who have died as a result from complications from the bypass surgery. I am willing to put up with anything the Lapband throws at me and will not quit until I have reached my goal.

It will be three years in January and though I've had my share of complications, I would definitely choose the band all over again. The only thing I'd do differently is not be so aggressive with fills. I think it's part of what contributed to my slipped band, which I had repaired nearly two weeks ago; so technically, I'm starting anew and hope to get to goal this time.

Listen to your body and use the band as the tool it was designed to be and you'll do well.

Wishing you the best.

I was banded Sept. 2010. I know it hasn't been that long, but I can tell you that getting banded was the best thing I could have done for myself. Bypass was never an option for me. I have seen too many people with complications/death and I have 2 young children. It didn't even cross my mind. The band has been a great tool for weight loss. I am down 53 lbs and so proud of what I have been able to do so far!

Do your research and figure out what is best for you.